Presence of Women’s National Football Team at Throne Day Reception Hosted by HM the King Reflects Renewed Royal Goodwill Toward National Sport

The presence of the women’s national football team, finalists in the 2024 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, at the reception hosted on Wednesday by His Majesty King Mohammed VI on the occasion of the glorious Throne Day celebrations, is yet another illustration of the Sovereign’s unfailing benevolence towards sport in general and football in particular.

In fact, His Majesty the King has consistently supported Moroccan athletes by providing them with all the conditions necessary to encourage them to achieve the best results and fly the national flag high at the continental, regional, and international levels.

Speaking to the press, on the occasion of the Throne Day reception offered by HM the King, the Atlas Lionesses said that they were proud to be received by the Sovereign, adding that it is a great honor and a source of motivation to persevere in the same path in order to meet the aspirations of His Majesty the King and the Moroccan people.

This Royal gesture of goodwill is a “source of motivation to continue working for the next African Cup of Nations,” emphasized the Atlas Lionesses captain, Ghizlane Chebbak, top scorer of the continental competition. 

In this respect, she reiterated, on behalf of the entire national team, their commitment to do their best to meet the expectations of the Moroccan people.

For her part, Khadija Errmichi, the team’s goalkeeper, said that “on this occasion dear to our hearts and to the hearts of all Moroccans, the glorious Throne Day, we express our heartfelt thanks and deep gratitude to HM the King,” emphasizing that the Sovereign’s High Solicitude and Goodwill remain “unforgettable moments” forever engraved in the memory of the members of the national team.

“We will redouble our efforts to fly the national flag high and always present the best image of national women’s football,” she said.

For Sanae Messaoudi, this royal gesture is “a source of pride for all of us.” “We hope to bring happiness to the Moroccans who support us and have always supported us,” she said.

“We ask the Moroccan public to continue to support us and we promise to do our best to achieve this ambition” of winning the continental title, she said.

“It’s a dream for us. We are very happy to be received by His Majesty the King,” said Yasmine Katie Mrabet, defender for the women’s national team. 

The Moroccan international expressed the national team’s great pride in their brilliant performance during the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations. “We will learn from our mistakes and work to improve,” she said.

For his part, the national women’s football team head coach, Jorge Vilda, said that he was honored to be received, along with the members of the national team, by His Majesty King Mohammed VI. “It’s an unforgettable day. The national team players are very happy,“ he said, adding that ”this noble royal gesture is a recognition of the work done.”

After their brilliant performance at the last Women’s AFCON in 2024, which the Kingdom hosted, His Majesty the King sent a message of congratulations to the members of the women’s national team, in which He praised “the outstanding competitive spirit and the high sense of patriotism” shown by the members of the national team throughout the championship.

HM the King also praised their firm determination to establish the strong presence of Moroccan football at the continental and international levels and to represent, as they should, national women’s sport, as well as the efforts of the players and the technical, medical, and administrative staff to fulfill the expectations of Moroccan fans who aspire to more titles.

The Africa office of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was inaugurated on Saturday at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, during a ceremony chaired by FIFA President, Gianni Infantino.

The event was attended by Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Patrice Motsepe, Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President, Fouzi Lekjaa, and several other dignitaries.

“This is a historic moment, a festive and joyful day that will be engraved in golden letters in the history of FIFA and football in Africa, in Morocco, and around the world,” said Infantino in his address.

He noted that “the inauguration of the FIFA Africa office comes at a perfect time as it coincides with the celebrations of the glorious Throne Day,” adding that the Mohammed VI Football Complex is “an incredible and magnificent facility.”

“I thank His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the momentum given to the development of sport on the continent,” Infantino added, emphasizing that the Royal impetus for football development is “unique.”

Infantino further stated that the Mohammed VI Complex, which hosts the new FIFA Africa office, has become a nerve center for African football and a symbol of a country and continent looking toward the future.

“What we are inaugurating today is not just a FIFA Africa office. It is rather a global FIFA center, as it will have a worldwide impact on the game,” he said.

The FIFA president also recalled that Morocco is set to host several major sporting events, including the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the next five editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted with Spain and Portugal. “The world will unite here in Morocco,” he said.

He also highlighted that Saturday evening’s final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations between Morocco and Nigeria in Rabat would be “a great and beautiful celebration” of women’s football in Morocco and Africa, noting that the Moroccan public’s enthusiasm for football is unique worldwide.

CAF President Motsepe welcomed the inauguration of FIFA’s Africa office in Morocco, stating that “there could not be a better place to establish this office.”

He expressed his gratitude to HM King Mohammed VI for his ongoing efforts in support of football on the continent, noting that African football is of global standard.

Recalling the performance of African teams at the last World Cup in Qatar, particularly Morocco’s historic semi-final run, Motsepe said he is convinced that African football will dominate the global stage in the years to come.

FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaa underlined that the Mohammed VI Complex, which now hosts the FIFA Africa office, was realized thanks to the enlightened Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, describing it as the result of a strategy aimed at fostering the development of Moroccan and African youth.

“This Vision aspires to make Morocco a land of welcome and convergence for talent from all corners of the world,” he said.

According to Lekjaa, the establishment of the office reflects FIFA’s interest in African football and the development of all its categories, recalling that Morocco has always been and will remain a land of tolerance and dialogue between civilizations.

The headquarters agreement for the FIFA Africa office in Morocco was signed last December in Marrakech on the sidelines of the 2024 CAF Awards ceremony by Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, and FRMF President, Fouzi Lekjaa.

 Infrastructure, investment, and construction projects launched in the framework of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) are part of a continuous strategy aimed at efficiently and sustainably preparing for the hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, stressed Fouzi Lekjaa, Minister Delegate for the Budget, on Friday in Rabat.

“The infrastructure, investments, and construction efforts tied to AFCON 2025 are part of a coherent and progressive approach to preparing for the 2030 World Cup, thereby ensuring a sustainable legacy and optimized development of Morocco’s sports, economic, and territorial spheres,” said Lekjaa during a ministerial conference themed “2030 World Cup: Financial, Institutional, and Strategic Challenges,” held at the National School of Administration (ENSA).

An investment of approximately 150 billion dirhams (MAD) is currently underway across the relevant sectors, including the construction of a potable water treatment plant with a capacity of 2 billion cubic meters, intended to meet both industrial and domestic needs, he revealed.

Lekjaa also noted that the financing of transport infrastructure is based on public-private partnerships, supported by annual state contributions of around 1.6 billion MAD until 2030, ensuring continuity and financial viability of the projects.

He emphasized that mobility remains a central challenge among host cities. “The development of the high-speed rail line (LGV) and the regional express network (RER) is already underway, particularly to connect Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, and the southern provinces, thus enhancing Morocco’s territorial and economic integration,” the minister added.

Regarding the financial structure, he stressed that it was designed not to burden the State’s general budget. “An innovative financing and operation model, in partnership with the Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion (CDG) and the National Company for the Construction and Management of Sports Facilities (SONARGES), allows for a 20-year amortization, ensuring investment viability,” he stated.

In addition, Lekjaa announced that work on the two stadiums set to host AFCON 2025 will be completed on schedule: by July 31 for the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, and by August 15 for the Grand Stadium of Tangier.

He underlined that this organizational effort is part of a broader vision encompassing other continental and international women’s competitions, contributing to the strengthening of Morocco’s organizational capacities and its long-term sporting and economic influence.

For her part, ENSA Director General Nada Biaz stated that the co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup is a showcase of Morocco’s boldness, reflecting the Kingdom’s capacity to unite, anticipate, shape the future, and coordinate with neighbors and partners such as Spain and Portugal.

Economically, this event represents a structural investment lever, generating growth, mobility, and regional attractiveness, while mobilizing all state actors around principles of coordination, efficiency, and transparency, she said, underlining the strategic dimension of this ambition, reflecting Morocco’s role as an influential and supportive actor engaged in constructive diplomacy and exemplary partnerships with brotherly and friendly nations.

Morocco has become one of the global centers of football, said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“I am very happy and delighted to be here. It’s always a joy and a pleasure to be in Morocco, a country that lives and breathes football every single day,” stated Infantino, upon his arrival Saturday in Rabat.

“Both the men’s and women’s national teams have reached an extremely high level and feature incredible talent,” Infantino emphasized.

Morocco, which will soon host the headquarters of FIFA’s Africa office, has successfully organized sporting events in a “spectacular” fashion, thanks in particular to the efforts made by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation in recent years, he noted.

According to the FIFA president, the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) in Morocco is enjoying “great success”, both in terms of athletic performance and spectator attendance. He also pointed out that Morocco is preparing to host five consecutive editions of the U-17 Women’s World Cup, the 2025 Men’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), as well as the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, extended on Thursday his condolences to the family of Ahmed Faras, describing the late Moroccan football icon as “an exceptional leader, both on and off the field.”

In a message published on the CAF website, Motsepe conveyed his deep condolences, as well as those of CAF’s 54 member associations, to Faras’s family, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), and the entire Moroccan football community.

Faras, who passed away on Wednesday in Mohammedia at the age of 78 after a long illness, was named African Player of the Year in 1975 and led Morocco to its first CAF Africa Cup of Nations title in 1976.

“His contributions to football in Morocco and on the African Continent laid the foundation for the current globally respected Moroccan and African Football players,” Motsepe said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, teammates, the [Royal Moroccan Football Federation] and its President Fouzi Lekjaa, and the people of Morocco. Ahmed Faras will forever live in our hearts and minds. May his Soul Rest in Peace,” he added.

Born in 1946 in Mohammedia, Faras earned his first call-up to Morocco’s U-23 side in 1965 before joining the senior national team a year later. During his international career, he featured at the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico and the Africa Cup of Nations tournaments in 1972, 1976, which Morocco won, and 1978. He also represented Morocco at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, reaching the second round.

At club level, Faras spent his entire career with Chabab Mohammedia from 1965 to 1982, winning the Moroccan league title in 1980 and the Throne Cup in 1972 and 1975.

Individually, he was the top scorer in the national league in 1969 and 1973 with 16 goals each season, and won the African Ballon d’Or in 1975, a crowning achievement that elevated his legacy on the continent.

Morocco’s Government Council on Thursday approved a bill to establish the “Morocco 2030 Foundation,” a new body tasked with overseeing preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which the Kingdom is co-hosting.

Bill No. 35.25, presented by Minister Delegate for the Budget Fouzi Lekjaa, forms part of the implementation of directives issued by HM King Mohammed VI during the Council of Ministers held on December 4, 2024.

Speaking at a press briefing after the weekly cabinet meeting, Government Spokesperson Mustapha Baitas said the Foundation will coordinate and monitor development projects linked to the 2030 World Cup and ensure Morocco meets its commitments under the tournament’s specifications.

Baitas added that the initiative aligns with HM the King’s vision of sport as a tool for sustainable and inclusive development, as well as a driver of youth integration and territorial development.

He noted that hosting the 2030 World Cup—alongside other major events such as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations—reinforces Morocco’s status as a hub for international events and a meeting point of civilizations.

The Morocco 2030 Foundation will adopt a participatory approach involving government bodies, public institutions, local authorities, civil society, the private sector, the Moroccan diaspora, and the broader football community, including African partners, Baitas said.